Additive processes for manufacturing conductive traces on suspension components are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,717 issued to Matsumoto, et al. discloses an additive process for manufacturing suspensions with copper traces. U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,899 issued to Ohkawa, et al. discloses an additive process with backside access to traces. Each of these patents disclose traces made of materials that are susceptible to corrosion. In addition, the manufacturing methods taught by these references require a large number of steps leading to a process that is inefficient and requires extensive handling, making the suspension components susceptible to damage and resulting in low yield rates.
Thus, there remains, a continuing need for a process that is efficient, cost effective, and results in a suspension with corrosion resistant conductors. In addition, a need remains for high quality conductive traces that are resistant to corrosion and are resistant to damage that may result from handling or rework.